Global Nursing Capacity Building and Collaborative Partnerships in Rural Haiti

The country of Haiti has a population of 10 million people, and is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The nation ranks 168 out of 187 on the Human Development Index (UNDP, 2017). With poverty, comes startling health statistics: One in every 14 children die before the age of five and one out of every 83 women die during childbirth (Midwives for Haiti, 2017). Access to healthcare is not a reality for most of the population for Haiti, as 83% of the population live on less than $2.40 US dollars per day (World Bank, 2018). For those who can afford healthcare, there are only 23 physicians and 10 nurses per 100,000 Haitians (WHO, 2017). A participatory rural appraisal was performed in one of the rural villages, and participants noted that the distance to healthcare services was a significant barrier in access to care (Neal, Knowles, DuMond, in press). Increasing the presence of trained healthcare providers in rural Haitian villages should particularly improve maternal-child health outcomes, as well as overall quality of life.

The Sustainable Development goals, established by the United Nations (UN) in 2015, address 17 goals to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Good Health and well-being for all is goal three of this world initiative (UN, 2016). This collaborative partnership is one mechanism to reach that goal and directly aligns with the recommendation that developing countries will need to collaborate with developed nations to build capacity (Lu, Nakicenovic, Visbeck, & Sterance, 2015). Other previous and sentinel work also emphasizes international collaborative working relationships and long-term capacity building (Kligerman, Walmer, & Merrell, 2017), as well as training local personnel (DeGennaro, DeGennaro, & Ginzburg, 2011). This project highlights one avenue for fostering collaboration to improve global health outcomes and address one of the UN’s Sustainable Development goals.

A local Sigma chapter connected and partnered with an established non-profit organization, Medic Samaritan to address capacity building in Haiti. Medic Samaritan enters into healthcare concentrated endeavors that facilitate access to shelter, education, and clean water within the rural mountainous communities of Beloc, Camatin, and Decouze, Haiti. The Medic Samaritan SEWing Sustainability model (Shelter, Empowerment, Water), focuses on empowering Haitians through projects that promote long-term, community health development and sustainability (Medic Samaritan, 2018). This project worked to support Haitian nursing education and the creation of a local community nurse midwife program. The chapter provided financial support for nursing school tuition and assisted in educational initiatives to get the community nurse midwife program established.

This essential partnership works to catalyze resources to build a local community health nurse midwife program and bring accessible healthcare services to three rural villages. Implications for this important global initiative include providing opportunities for nursing education and employment, building a healthcare workforce, access to healthcare services for thousands of Haitian residents with limited/no access to care, and increased cultural awareness for US partners. An established method to evaluate effectiveness of the community health nurse midwife program through baseline and periodic assessment will serve as a guide to measure global health outcomes.